Barge In bands: from pissed-off punks to funky indie rockers

From pissed off punks to funky indie rockers, this year’s Barge In Fest is more colorful and vibrant than ever. Here are the musicians who are coming to make their mark. For more times and events visit our Guide to the Day.

Capital Street StageLewiston Tribune loading dock

Seattle headliners Furniture Girls and Electric NoNo will join local and regional musicians from 5 to 10 p.m. at the Barge In Fest’s Capital Street stage on the Lewiston Tribune’s loading dock.

Furniture Girls

Known for funky, high-energy shows, Seattle’s electro rock band Furniture Girls will headline the Barge In Fest around 8 p.m. at the Capital Street Stage.

Co-founded by frontwoman stayC Meyer a decade ago, the band has notched a mark in the Northwest music scene, opened for Presidents of the United States of America and My Life with the Thrill Kill Cult; and taken the stage at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas.

Furniture Girls’ name comes from the 1970’s sci-fi flick “Soylent Green,” about a future where food production is tightly controlled by major corporations and women can be “furniture” — a kind of prostitute who is the property of a home owner.

The geeky reference to a cult classic is an appropo name for for a heady band whose music has been described as angsty, dystopian and deeply moving. While they have a large catalog of original music, the group is also known for slipping in danceable covers of bands like Duran Duran, Rush and Cyndi Lauper.

“When we play festivals we tend to try to keep the energy up. We want people to be able to enjoy themselves and hopefully get up and dance and have a good time. We’ll definitely be focusing on more up tempo songs,” said Meyer.
The band also features Kate Bradley on vocals, Jason Lightfoot on guitar, Thane Mitchell, drums and percussion and Jim Watkins, bass.

Furniture Girls played Hogan’s Pub in Clarkston a year ago and hit it off with local music lovers, Meyer said. They’re excited to return and play again.

Electric NoNo(photo Darla Barry Benson)

Electric NoNo

The Seattle two-piece pop/rock band Electric NoNo features two brothers, Jared (lead voice, guitar and piano) and Dominic Cortese (voice and percussion).

Seattle’s “The Stranger” opined: the band’s “power melodies and driving pop are the perfect soundtrack to an all-night party where you (a) get drunk and pick a fight with your best friends, (b) continue drinking, but apologize profusely, (c) end the night hugging and/or screaming “I love you” to everyone you know, then (d) wake up wearing nothing but your old Weezer shirt.”

Electric NoNo will play around 7 p.m. at the Capital Street Stage. They’ll play again at an after hours encore jam starting at 10 p.m. at Hogan’s Pub in Clarkston with Portland Ore.’s Toy Boat Toy Boat Toy Boat. At Hogan’s there will be a $5 cover charge.

The Boise hardcore trio Ingrown is about being loud, angry, smart and playing aggressively as possible. The band draws influences from ‘80’s and ‘90’s groups like Infest, Negative Approach, and No Comment but its biggest influence is likely the ‘80s Boise band State of Confusion. Calvin Hansen, Ingrown’s frontman and guitarist, is the son of a former member of State of Confusion. Ingrown is currently on tour in support its latest album, “Meathead,” out on Alternatives Label. Smash the Skate is the last stop on the band’s tour. The band plays at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at the skate park.

Other bands

1 p.m. Crisis Neglect: DIY street punk from Pullman

1:30 p.m. Swarm Beating: Beatdown hardcore

2 p.m. Fight: Boise-based hardcore made up of current and former members of Ingrown

3 p.m. Mala Racha: Olympia, Wash., hardcore with lyrics in Spanish and English

About the author

Jennifer K. Bauer has interviewed sword swallowers, saddle makers and even Arnold Schwarzenegger. She is the editor of Inland 360, a weekly culture magazine for north Idaho and eastern Washington that prints in the Lewiston Tribune and Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Contact her at jkbauer@inland360.com or (208) 848-2263.